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PITfall

Today isn't a good day to be a Mets fan, and tomorrow isn't looking so hot either.

I'm not referring to the status of the current team, but rather its history. The Mets are 0-4 in walk-off scenarios on August 12 and 0-3 in walk-off scenarios on August 13.

The first of the four defeats on this date came against the team the Mets faced Monday, the Pirates, and there was a frustration factor associated with that one too.

Granted, the Mets were 19 under .500 and in a helpless malaise on August 12, 1977, and the Pirates were the team to whom the game had pennant significance, but losses are losses, and this one wasn't much fun.

The Mets had leads in this one of 3-2 and 5-4 in Game 2 of this doubleheader, but didn't hold either for long. The latter was in the eighth inning (thanks to a Bobby Valentine RBI) and the Pirates tied it after two were out and nobody was on base, when Bobby Tolan doubled, Al Oliver was intentionally walked, and Omar Moreno singled home the run to make it 5-5.

The game stretched into extra innings and the Mets had opportunities to win in both the 11th and 12th. In the 12th, the Mets loaded the bases with one out, but ran into the same struggles that the present team is having. Valentine popped out and Lenny Randle flied out and the score remained even. Those were the last of the 14 men the Mets left on base in this game.

That's because the Pirates cashed in during the home half, winning on an RBI single by ex-Met Duffy Dyer. Pittsburgh would finish a sweep of the four-game series with wins in its next 2 games.

True Metyers know...Duffy Dyer had four walk-off hits for the Mets and two walk-off hits against them.

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